2008 Woodie Awards
Hail to the Music Thief: To Pay or Not To Pay
Shannon Dillon
Issue date: 10/15/07 Section: Entertainment
- Page 1 of 1
To what extent is free actually free? If someone told you that you could pay any amount you want, including nothing, for a couple of drinks from your favorite bartender, what would do? You consider the bartender a good friend and they're great at what they do, so of course you don't want to cheat him out of a well deserved tip. Is this all that different from a fan's loyalty to a band? That's the question fans will have to ask themselves when they decide what to pay, if anything at all, for Radiohead's latest release, "In Rainbows."
Word got out about the new Radiohead album; even non-Radiohead fans are talking about it. The band posted a blog on their website announcing that their fans could pay any amount for their new CD which is available for download only. Radiohead is also releasing a box set including the CD, pictures, a lyric book and songs that aren't available on the downloadable release, priced at $80. This announcement made headlines on the nightly news, New York Times, Billboard and numerous other major media outlets.
For those who don't know, Radiohead is no longer signed to EMI Records, meaning they are without a label. This also means that they have no deadlines, no musical boundaries, and no worries about who's doing what with their money. They work at their own pace when they want for as long as they want. Because they have no label to answer to, they are able to pull a stunt such as this without the repercussions of their management.
"In Rainbows," was digitally released on October 10, was probably one of the most anticipated releases in quite a while being that the band's last album "Hail to the Thief" was released in 2003. This will be the band's seventh studio album and the first time they have done something so extravagant.
Fans may ask themselves, "Why did they do this?" Well, a few thoughts come to mind: they may have thought that people would get the CD someway or another even before its release date through illegal downloading. It could be that since they are now without a label they are free to do whatever they please with their music, which could possibly be the way they've always wanted it. Perhaps they wanted to see if their true fans would support them even when given an option. Or maybe it's not about loyalty or support, maybe they simply wanted to give their fans a choice.
One question still remains in the back of my mind: is there any going back for Radiohead? If they decide to put out an eighth record, would they go back to the conventional ways of sale?
Word got out about the new Radiohead album; even non-Radiohead fans are talking about it. The band posted a blog on their website announcing that their fans could pay any amount for their new CD which is available for download only. Radiohead is also releasing a box set including the CD, pictures, a lyric book and songs that aren't available on the downloadable release, priced at $80. This announcement made headlines on the nightly news, New York Times, Billboard and numerous other major media outlets.
For those who don't know, Radiohead is no longer signed to EMI Records, meaning they are without a label. This also means that they have no deadlines, no musical boundaries, and no worries about who's doing what with their money. They work at their own pace when they want for as long as they want. Because they have no label to answer to, they are able to pull a stunt such as this without the repercussions of their management.
"In Rainbows," was digitally released on October 10, was probably one of the most anticipated releases in quite a while being that the band's last album "Hail to the Thief" was released in 2003. This will be the band's seventh studio album and the first time they have done something so extravagant.
Fans may ask themselves, "Why did they do this?" Well, a few thoughts come to mind: they may have thought that people would get the CD someway or another even before its release date through illegal downloading. It could be that since they are now without a label they are free to do whatever they please with their music, which could possibly be the way they've always wanted it. Perhaps they wanted to see if their true fans would support them even when given an option. Or maybe it's not about loyalty or support, maybe they simply wanted to give their fans a choice.
One question still remains in the back of my mind: is there any going back for Radiohead? If they decide to put out an eighth record, would they go back to the conventional ways of sale?
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